1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to condenser apparatus, and more particularly to condenser apparatus for utilization in an automatic clothes dryer so that warm moisture-laden air from the clothes dryer is cooled and moisture removed therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In automatic clothes dryers it is common to vent the warm moisture-laden exhaust air or vapor outside the machine and preferably even outside the house or building while air is constantly being introduced into the clothes dryer, heated and passed over the fabrics to be dried. It is not, however, always possible and, in fact, it may not be desirable to provide such a venting system for automatic clothes dryers in apartments or other high rise housing establishments. In drying fabrics in a clothes dryer it is highly desirable to be able to heat the air, pass the heated air over the fabrics to be dried and withdraw moisture therefrom, remove the hot moisture-laden air from the fabrics and introduce it into an apparatus that lowers the temperature of the moisture-laden air thereby condensing out moisture from the air, then recirculate the air through the clothes dryer.
Condensing apparatus has been utilized in laundry machines, both combination clothes washers and dryers and automatic clothes dryers, for many years. One such condensing apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,451,692 wherein moist air is passed through a water spray from a nozzle that is also used to effect movement of the air and free water from a spray is removed by a stationary screen. Another type of condensing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,557 wherein only a controlled portion of the moist air is passed through a dehumidifier. U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,384 shows apparatus that uses an impeller to circulate air that also has the cooling water discharged directly against the impeller, however, there is no free water collection means provided. U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,000 utilizes a condensing arrangement that produces a coherent film of water on a channel wall to avoid entrainment of water droplets.
A liquid droplet cloud in a condensing chamber through which the hot moisture-laden air from the dryer is passed is quite efficient for lowering the air temperature. However, such a system inherently produces entrainment of the free liquid droplets. It is desirable to collect these droplets and deposit them in an underlying bath before they can leave the condensing chamber. This is particularly desirable when the blower that induces the air flow through the condenser apparatus is in axial alignment with the condensing chamber and downstream from the liquid droplet cloud. Too much entrainment of free liquid can detrimentally affect the operation of the entire condenser apparatus and reduce the normal life of such an apparatus. Also, since the condenser apparatus may be utilized in an automatic clothes dryer it is desirable to minimize expelling free liquid from the condenser apparatus into the clothes dryer system.
With liquid being introduced into the condenser apparatus to form the liquid droplet cloud and the droplets being collected in the condensing chamber before they pass into the blower area it is necessary to have a pump to remove the liquid from the condensing chamber. In the event of a pump malfunction, such as clogging, it is highly desirable to have the incoming liquid stopped and the appliance turned off or de-energized. There is, however, a time lag in such an operation and overflow liquid needs to be contained where it will not come into contact with electrical components of the appliance. This improvement invention relates to a means for accomplishing this.